Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Denver on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 where he announced that he was granting a temporary reprieve to Nathan Dunlap from his death sentence. Dunlap was scheduled to be executed in August for the murders of four people in 1993 at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. Hickenlooper only referred to Dunlap as Offender NO. 89148. He would not use Dunlap’s name. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, Craig F. Walker) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; NO SALES; NEW YORK POST OUT; NEW YORK DAILY NEWS OUT

Gov. John Hickenlooper wanted a statewide “conversation” on the death penalty after his controversial decision to halt Nathan Dunlap’s execution, and a fellow Democrat working just down the street obliged him.

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said the murder case against a 23-year-old accused of stabbing five people to death in a bar “cries for the death penalty.”

It’s the first time since 2001 that Denver prosecutors have sought the death penalty.

“My position is, listen, I got elected to make tough decisions,” Morrissey said in a recent interview. “In my 30 years’ experience, I’ve never seen anything like this in Denver. Allegedly, this man butchered five people. This is something a Denver jury should decide.”

Two Republicans — former GOP chairman Dick Wadhams and Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler — believe Morrissey’s decision could have political implications for Hickenlooper in his re-election campaign next year.

But Democratic political consultant Steve Welchert said it should come as no surprise that a district attorney supports the death penalty.

Morrissey testified this year against a bill that would have banned the death penalty. He did support a separate measure that would have allowed Coloradans to vote in 2014 whether to repeal the death penalty. Both bills died.

Welchert maintained that Morrissey’s decision doesn’t hurt or help Hickenlooper, and other Democrats repeatedly point out the election is a long way off.

But Wadhams believes Morrissey’s decision “puts the governor in an awkward position.”

Wadhams noted that both crimes involved multiple victims, and both Hickenlooper and Morrissey are Denver Democrats.

Dunlap admitted killing four people and seriously wounding a fifth at an Aurora Chuck E. Cheese’s in 1993. Dexter Lewis is charged with multiple counts of murder and arson in the Oct. 17 attack at Fero’s Bar & Grill in Denver.

“I think it drives home that there is a place for the death penalty,” Wadhams said.

Ken Bickers, professor of political science at the University of Colorado, said he doubts Morrissey’s decision will have much of an impact on the campaign, although opponents could use it to try to “embarrass the governor.”

But Bickers said there are lots of “ifs” involved as the Lewis case progresses.

“If the death penalty is indeed handed down, then it likely would be in the midst of the campaign and thus potentially affect the campaign,” he said.

Dunlap was scheduled to be executed in August, but Hickenlooper announced in May he was granting an indefinite reprieve, which means a future governor could carry out the death penalty.

“Colorado’s system of capital punishment is imperfect and inherently inequitable,” Hickenlooper said at the time. “Such a level of punishment really does demand perfection.”

Those who wanted Dunlap executed were outraged, as were some who oppose the death penalty and wanted to see Dunlap’s sentence commuted to life in prison.

Political consultant Eric Sondermann of Denver, who is unaffiliated, was critical of the decision on Facebook and in interviews.

“I think that Hickenlooper’s gift is to try to find that sweet spot in between two polar positions, but I’m not convinced that this was a decision that lent itself to that approach,” he told The Denver Post at the time. “I think he runs the risk of seeming too cute by half and of really leaving both sides feeling unfulfilled.”

Hickenlooper said he would lead the state in a death penalty discussion, in town halls and in statewide talks with local leaders. He brought up his decision in community meetings in Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs in July.

“We knew for a fact that if I gave a temporary reprieve, people would become unhinged, that they would say I was indecisive,” Hickenlooper told the Grand Junction Sentinel editorial board.

“We knew that there would be a hundred times more political outrage by doing that decision. Long term, I think it would be worth a couple of years to let people be furious at me but also to hear the facts. Let people know how much it costs to do these cases.”

And the outrage was swift, particularly among Republicans.

Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, who was considering challenging Hickenlooper, announced several hours after the governor’s decision that he was getting in the race.

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, called Hickenlooper’s decision “gutless.” He now is running for governor, too.

And Brauchler, who hammered Hickenlooper afterward during a news conference on the Capitol steps, is mulling whether to get in the race.

“What Mitch’s decision highlights,” Brauchler said, “is that the death penalty for prosecutors in the state of Colorado is about justice, and it’s driven by the facts of the case, not about the changing political winds or pressure from a different part of any political party.”

Morrissey said when he talked with the victims’ families before deciding to seek the death penalty against Lewis, they brought up Hickenlooper’s decision.

“I said, ‘Listen, there are no guarantees. These things take a long time,’ ” Morrissey said. “It’s a big part of what I talked about with them.”

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